


despair holding our hearts again

by aikoa



Category: Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: AKA, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different Mastermind (Dangan Ronpa), Author Is Sleep Deprived, Confused Hinata Hajime, Confused Naegi Makoto, Dead Enoshima Junko, Despair Komaeda Nagito, Enoshima Junko Being Enoshima Junko, Komaeda Nagito Is Not Obsessed With Hope, Komaeda Nagito Swears, Mastermind Enoshima Junko, Mastermind Komaeda Nagito, Multiple Masterminds, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Oh and Also, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Out of Character, Read by the Author, So much laughing, aka 2.0 don't make fun of me if u find a mistake, because im sure i probably forgot some, but really what can you do, clearly i only slightly know what i'm doing, i mean he gets a good amount regardless but, i tried my best ok, i'm especially clarifying that because i'm really not trying to get attacked in the comment section, komaeda gets better spotlight towards the end i promise, like seriously, obviously, take a shot every time someone says "what", take that as you will, this got more junko-centric then i would have liked, this is not a junkomaeda fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:27:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28797600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aikoa/pseuds/aikoa
Summary: This was...impossible. It had to be, right?He was dead. They'd found his butchered corpse, they'd done an investigation, they'd figured out what he'd done and still executed Chiaki for it....So why was he there with them then, and why was he working withher..?***mastermind nagito because i love this trope
Relationships: (NOT a ship fic), Enoshima Junko & Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 3
Kudos: 24





	despair holding our hearts again

**Author's Note:**

> hi i'm keeping the comments on out of trust but if shitty drama over junkomaeda starts they will be switched to moderated and eventually turned off all together if it's attempted to be continued
> 
> you can comment obviously!  
> just no " JUNKO X NAGITO IS A TOXIC SHIP WHY DO YOU SHIP THEM!!!11!!1!11!1😡😡😡🤬🤬😱😱 " or whatever
> 
>   
> ( i can't believe i have to clarify a non-ship just so i don't get doxxed 😃👍 )

"The data of everyone who died is like- stored within me," Junko said casually, her holographic telephone-form shrugging, "so I'm sure I can act out their personalities convincingly enough,"

"D-Don't mess with me-" Fuyuhiko growled with a low tremble, "Don't mess with us,"

"Aw c'mon," the form giggled, "I have _loooaaads_ of data on you, which means I know exactly what you want and what can make you happy,"

"H-Huh? What the fuck do you-?"

"I can even act out the version of Miss Pekoyama you always secretly craved inside~!"

Fuyuhiko growled again, though more loudly and more akin to that of a bear, if anything. "I said, don't _fucking_ MESS WITH ME!"  
Junko seemed unbothered by his outburst, though even that was putting it far too lightly, as she cackled again, before turning to look at Hajime.

"Or maybe... I could switch myself into a version of 'lil old Nagito that wasn't as batshit crazy as before!"  
What?  
Why...why was she bringing up Nagito all of a sudden? What did he have to do with this?

 _"Aww, you think I'm crazy?  
_ _Boo-hoo-hoo! That really hurt my feelings, Junko-sama!"_

Wait...

Oh.. god.

Hajime didn't even have to look around the room to see that the other survivors had all froze in various states of either shock or fear. He didn't have to look to see that they had all stared at him before casting their case to the podium next to the rhinestone-encrusted pink phone slammed into the trial room ground.

Junko clapped delightedly as a figure dropped down from the code-patterned ceiling, landing smoothly on their feet and brushing off their clothes.  
And there stood, living and breathing himself, Nagito Komaeda.

"Wha-?" Souda managed to whisper to himself in utter consternation.

"Ugh, _finally,_ there you are!" Junko groaned, "I was starting to think you'd never show your dumb ass up!"  
Nagito didn't respond, instead choosing to smile that demented smile of his at the rest of them.

"W-What are you doing here?" Akane whirled on the new arrival, "you're dead! You're supposed to be _dead!"_

He laughed his raspy little laugh and Hajime just wanted to _scream._

"Oh, that little show, haha," he waved his hand as a mother would wave off her child and some kind of their silly little issue, "no need to worry about that right now, it was just to help you get up to this point!"

"You got someone _killed_ over it!" Fuyuhiko cut in. Nagito stared at him as though he were the gum on the bottom of a shoe before chuckling again and rolling his eyes.

"She wasn't even _real,"_ He shot back simply, leaning himself over the edge of the podium as if it would help the other hear him better, "we've already gotten past this point, c'mon now,"

"A-And how do we know you're even real?" Kazuichi butted in, his hands tugging at his beanie as his eyes unwillingly stayed locked on the one only a mere two spots away from him. He seemed uncomfortable by the close proximity, but Nagito didn't seem to care.

"Hm, I guess you don't" Nagito hummed, "not that it matters, anyway. I don't need to be 'real' for this,"

" 'This'? Do you... have something planned too?" Hajime managed to ask once his voice had finally found it's way back to him, though it almost disappeared when his hazel eyes locked with Nagito's own pale green ones,

"Only what you've already heard," he grinned, and Hajime hated how he flinched when he saw it.

"What?"

The grin dropped as quickly as it came, being instead replaced with a sigh. Geez, did his personalities really change as fast as Junko's did too?

"You can't talk about all this mastermind bullshit without both of them present," the white-haired one said, drooping himself over as far as he could have without completely folding over backwards. Then he snapped back up and covered his mouth, however leaving only enough of a gap for them to be able to see the corners of his lips clearly turned up. "Whoopsie, guess I've said too much,"

"What?" Makoto finally spoke up for the first time since Nagito's arrival, "There's no way you can be a mastermind! Why would her brainwashing effect you this way and not the others?"

Nagito's head spun so fast to face Makoto that it was a shock it didn't completely snap,  
"Woah, I'm in the most effulgent presence of the Ultimate Hope himself! Normally I'd gush about the honor and how I don't deserve it, but I'm starting to get bored of this crap! Can we get on with this already?"

"No, he's right!" Hajime broke in, he wanted the answer to this, he _needed_ it, "How can you be one of the masterminds behind all of this? I don't understand!"

"Well, technically, Hinata-kun," Nagito replied, his elbows propped on his podium railing as his chin propped up on his fists, "teh-c-nic-al-lee," (was he doing that on purpose just to piss him off?) " _you're_ the mastermind"

Hajime froze.  
"W-What? What do you mean-? I didn't do this! I would never-"

"It wasn't him exactly, silly," Junko's voice finally spoke up again, this time in favor of chiding her partner, "It was Kamukura!"

"Kamukura?" Fuyuhiko questioned, "who the hell is that?"

"No, no," Junko held up a perfectly manicured finger, "we'll get into that soon enough," her 'teacher' persona was clear with that, but it only made Hajime want the answers to all of this even more. He wasn't some little kid who needed scolding from an adult, he deserved to know, didn't he? It had to do with him, after all!

"Now-"

" _Why are you helping her?_ " Sonia's shrill exclamation cut through whatever it was Junko was about to continue rambling on about. Sonia didn't care, though, as her entire focus was directed solely at Nagito, and Nagito alone.

"Huh?" Nagito had the audacity to cock his head as if he had no clue exactly what they were saying, which Hajime already could tell was another lie from him, "wuddaya mean?"

"Yea!" Akane continued, "she's all for despair 'n stuff, and you always go _on and on_ about your weird hope obsession! That just doesn't make any sense!"

Nagito groaned, "Goddd, you guys really are slow. And to think I ever looked up to you as ultimates!" he barked out a cut laugh, "Well, do you _really_ think hope can just show up out of no where? It needs something to build it up, duh!"

"And that something is...despair?"

"Ding ding ding! Good job Hajime, maybe you're not as useless as I thought" he grinned along with his insult to add further salt to the wound.

"And plus," Junko cut in, "I get to watch when glorious despair rips apart whatever hope he manages to find himself with, and it's always a-ma- _zing!_ "

"We sorta.. build eachother up, y'know?" Nagito concluded, "and tear eachother down too, I suppose,"

"But why are you doing this?" Sonia cried, "Do you feel guilty for what you've done? D-Do you feel remorse for the people you killed?"

"Their sacrifices all do wonders for me, so," Junko said, her telephone-form picking casually at her nails as if she were the least entertained she'd ever been in her life.

"And as for why we're doing this?" Nagito repeated, his face taking on a soft innocent expression before he fell into laughter once more, "Well, Junko is Junko," the form in question gave a little bow and wave through her screen, "and, adding on to my bullshit brain issues, I don't really think little ol' Izuru corrupting my game file did me any more good!"  
He laughed, and laughed, and _laughed_ as Hajime continued to spiral into further questioning denial. No.. he'd done this? This was his fault? Oh god, oh god, oh god oh god ohgodohgod _ohGOD-_

"But your file always looked fine-!"

"Yea, no shit!" Nagito exclaimed. His personalities kept switching so quickly oh god he was just like her wasn't he-  
"Why would the corruption be made obvious for you to be able to stop it?" he questioned, "don't be stupid, you're supposed to be the _Ultimate Hope!"_

He then calmed, "I guess I almost exposed myself back at the first trial," he stated bashfully, then laughed again, embarrassment gone, "my bad!"

The rest of them stood in silence, unwilling to allow themselves to ask any further questions because in all honesty they were _terrified_ -.  
Junko cackled,

"Operation 'Junko-fy all Mankind' begins here!" She exclaimed, her face doused in a pink blush of thrill and her eyes rolling to the back of her head. Nagito clapped lightly as an image prototype took over Junko's place on her phone screen.  
She was everywhere everywhere _everywhere._ She was everyone; not even Komaeda was visible in it.

"I'm gonna take over the Future Foundation's headquarters with the help of the bodies of all your dead friends that my AI'll infest, plus everyone else who kicked the bucket," her voice explained over the image, "and eventually, sooner then you think, there's gonna be a whole lotta _me_ 's everywhere! All over the _world_! Then finally, my perfect despair utopia shall be complete!"

"No!" Sonia exclaimed,

"That's what you want?" Souda questioned hesitantly,

"Aww, c'mon!" Junko whined, her form reappearing on the screen after a moment or so, "this is what we all wanted! What we all worked so hard for! Too bad I won't be actually alive to see it, but I guess all things can't go my way... Oh well! Haha!"

"Why didn't you just kill all of us then?" Fuyuhiko asked sharply, his eyes glaring at the large phone screen, "Is that not all the more convenient for you?"

"Do you want me to?" Junko retorted, her face falling into seriousness.

"She didn't because she couldn't," Makoto stated, "she had you kill eachother because she couldn't do it herself. Remember trip rule four?"

Rule four...  
_'The lead teacher may not directly interfere with any situation having to do with the students. The single exception is when a student breaks one of the rules,"_

"It was more fun this way, anyway!" she giggled, "Oh, just watching you turn on eachother like that...hahaha~"

"To come so far, with so many sacrifices," Nagito crooned, a mocking pout finding it's way to his pale lips, "only to find out you were working for the wrong principal. How despair-inducing that must be for all of you, boo-hoo,"

"You were going to take over our bodies when we selected graduate," Akane noted, "so what? Is there no way out of this?!"

"There is one..." Makoto muttered, clearly deep in thought, "one neither of them should know about.."

Nagito cocked his head, eyebrows furrowed, "Share with the class, why dont'cha?"

"Pipe it, cloud head," Junko cut in, before turning to stare at Makoto, an all-knowing smirk dancing on her painted lips, "you're talking about that lil' shutdown sequence, arent'cha?"  
Makoto froze, eyes widening.

"How did you-?"

"I'm physic," Junko replied; but it wasn't her voice. No, it was the voice of someone Hajime felt like he'd heard on TV somewhere but he just couldn't remember-

Junko's real voice barked with mad laughter when she noticed the way Naegi had flinched.

"Boo, anyways," she waved him off annoyedly though seemingly quite knowingly, "There's no way they'd do it, they're all nothin' but little chumps! No way they'd choose to go back to being Ultimate Despair! You really do overestimate them, Naegi,"

"We have no sane choices!" Sonia said, her voice breaking. She was right. Every choice they had always ended in something going badly for _someone._  
But-

"What does the shutdown sequence imply?" Hajime inquired. He noted Nagito too listening in with a curious intensity.

The brunette lucky student sighed defeatedly,  
"I never truly believed the Neo World Program was a foolproof idea," he explained,

"Guess you were right about that part!" Nagito howled, his face clearly displaying the amount of undeniable humor he was squeezing from the entire situation.

Makoto squirmed a bit before choosing to ignore him,  
"I thought of quite a few ways some things could go wrong," he continued, "though I'm not sure I ever expected this..." the final tone was low, but evidently Junko, if not her and Nagito, had heard it clearly because she too started her cackle once more.

"So I added a secondary form of escape in the case of some dire emergency,"

"And Junko can't stop it?" Fuyuhiko asked, clearly trying to keep looking unbothered when the phone-form shut herself and stared silently into the side of his skull at the mention of her name.

"Neither of them can," and that was the first time since his arrival that Makoto looked truly _hopeful_.

Junko screamed again with absolute undying laughter.

"God, what is so _fucking_ funny?!" Fuyuhiko quite nearly screamed himself, his amber eyes glaring daggers into her screen.

"You _can't_ activate the shutdown!" she said, almost doubled over as she tried to properly cohere her speech.

"And why the fuck not?"

Nagito raised his hand as a student would in a classroom, "Ooh, I know! I know!"

He giggled like a schoolgirl when Junko pointed to him and he turned to glance at the exhausted and frightened faces of the rest.

"You losers killed too many darling dear little friends! Now there's not enough people, how sad!" he taunted as if this was all their fault. Was it?  
..  
Maybe it was.

"Ah, correct!" her teacher persona was back. Nagito practically beamed under the praise before smiling jeeringly at the group once more.

"In order to initiate the shutdown," Junko read off, "at least half out of fifteen students must be present to both press the 'Graduate' and 'Repeat' buttons simultaneously, yes?"

"And only six of us that would be willing to actually do so, including Makoto, are here..."

Makoto stayed silent, his eyes trained to the empty podiums beside him as if he were expecting something.

"They'll be here," eventually came his quiet mutter. And as if on timer cue, a white light broke through the air on those two spots.

Two more figures stepped out of the blinding portal beam before each taking a place at the two podiums beside Makoto.  
One of the two looked like Byakuya. How odd.

"How kind of you to make decisions for us," the new? Byakuya said, an annoyed fondness lacing his tone,

"At least he knows to have faith in us,"

"Kyoko, Byakuya!" Makoto exclaimed, "I knew you guys were coming! What took so long?"

"Enoshima's AI tried to block us again after you had gotten in, but we managed to get through," the one named Kyoko replied, "we got here as quickly as was possible for us,"

"Wait.." Hajime noted, "you guys are two more survivors of the Killing School Life, right?"  
The violet-haired woman nodded.

"Ah~! The former heroes _plunging_ themselves into the gameworld willy-nilly! And with no regards for personal safety, either.. It's almost like you all _want_ to shrivel and perish!" Nagito sighed dreamily.

"Wh-What a suicide move!" Junko blushed, hiding behind her hair as if overridden by embarrassment, "d-did you really wanna see me that _badly,_ huh?"

"That suicidal move was our only choice if we wanted to stop the two of you," Byakuya stated, looking far too unimpressed by the masterminds' display. They didn't seem to mind, however, as Junko only giggled in response.

"Well, we have enough people now, don't we?" Kazuichi inquired hurriedly, "let's just get this done with already!"

"Aww," Nagito's soft whine broke through, all survivors' eyes turned to look at him both questioningly and in an intense wariness,

"What is it now?"

"You made Junko cry," he responded, "how rude; bullying girls like that,"

As soon as focus turned to her, said pigtailed woman let out the most obnoxious string of 'WAAHH' any of them were sure they'd ever heard.

" _Why_ are you _bawling_ like that?" Byakuya asked her in irritation. She sniffled,

"My poor, poor baby despairs... they look like even _bigger_ chumps now that you're all here! I just feel... _so bad_..!"  
Most likely bad for herself, if anything really.

"Just... ignore her," Makoto cut in, "she's just trying to be a distraction. They both are!"

"Once we activate the shutdown sequence, _as long as we do that,_ it will be the end for her, him, and this whole messed up world," Byakuya commented.

The end of him?  
Would Nagito...die?

Hajime paused,  
He- He didn't want that..  
No matter how insane or unstable the other might be, it wasn't truly his fault, was it?  
He didn't deserve to die.

But... he didn't have a choice, did he?  
They had to activate the shutdown sequence, or they'd all be trapped there forever with _her_.

"Blah, blah, blah!" Junko cut in. Ah, of course; just as he was thinking about her...

"It doesn't matter if I'll be gone," she waved them off, "if you shut this whole thing down, you'll just go back to being my little pets, and this whole thing would have been a whole waste of time! Well, for you all, at least...phuhuhu..!"

"W-Wait..really?" Sonia asked, her hands wringing together nervously as she stared concernedly at Junko's phone before turning it all on the three original survivors, "Is this true..?"

"How does she know about all of this?" Byakuya whirled on Makoto, who flinched under the other's gaze,

"I-I don't-!"

"I'm an AI, duh-doy! I can simply read off of the code scripts, how do you think I managed to take control of this whole thing in the first place, huh?" she cackled at their quite absurd denseness.

"Yes.." Kyoko was the one to finally answer Sonia pressing inquiry, "your avatars here will be deleted along with the program, which means while your physical forms should be overall okay, you _will_ lose all of your memories, henceforth all of the progress, you made while here,"

"Okay physical forms?" Nagito repeated, "Hah!"

"Yea, memories won't be the only thing lost," Junko continued, "whatever you did to your body during your time as an Ultimate Despair will still be there when you wake up. So if you, say... lost a limb, perhaps?"

A malicious grin curled its way up Nagito's face at her words just before he clearly held up his left hand to show off unblocked to the rest of them.  
A series of strangled gasps quickly made it's way throughout the room, all of them from the six newest survivors and all in their own state of shock.

In place of what should have been a normal hand, one matching Nagito's reversed-direction right, was a hand far more slimmer and feminine then possible for someone of his build.  
It had cherry-red claw-like nails.  
It matched AI Junko's pair.  
It was... _real_ Junko's hand.  
Oh _god._

"Did you do that to yourself?" Hajime asked quietly, tearing his gaze away from the horrific sight to meet the other's clouded eyes.

"Don't act so surprised," he avoided simply, "when you're all awake, you'll find out that some of you did something very similar..."

"And all for the sake of continuing my despair-dripped legacy!" the woman on the phone screen grinned, hands clasped together thankfully, "isn't that just great?"

"And we're supposed to just go _back_ to that?" Akane challenged,

"Are you fucking serious right now? Can't you do _anything_ about it?" Fuyuhiko snapped at the Foundation members, his tone edging on sheer desperation.

"This is the only way to stop Enoshima and Komaeda from taking over with despair again" Kyoko stated, completely calm in comparison's to the other blonde's outburst. Those mentioned smiled at their own personal reference.

"I know it sounds bad now," Makoto said, "but we can help you if you let us,"

Kyoko nodded her agreement, "Once you get out, we will do our best to support you,"

"It's going to be all right," the brunette continued, seemingly trying his very best to convince the others that all would be well eventually, "your minds were brainwashed by Junko, that's why you all did what you did. If we can undo the brainwashing, then I'm confident you're minds will revert back to their original state,"

"Not without some trauma, of course," Byakuya added in, "but we are prepared to help with that as well,"

"Geez, sounds cheesy," Nagito complained, looking down, clearly in a state of boredom, at the red nails he now possessed, "a happy ending? C'mon, no viewer is ever gonna enjoy that!"

"Viewer?" reiterated Sonia questioningly,

"Junko-sama had been prepared for something like this," he sighed knowingly, "just in case you all decided you were bored with despair. Which, of course, never would have happened if these three little moles," he jerked his thumb over to the three Foundation members, "hadn't decided to butt-in. But it's never wrong to be equipped for any kind of situation,"

"Get to the point!" Fuyuhiko growled, "what do you mean by _'viewer'_?!"

"I've broadcasted everything," Junko said simply, her face blank except for the faint upturnings of her mouth, "now, my carefully crafted despair has spilled throughout the whole world. Everyone's been given the chance to see what you all did during my beautiful era of despair, and I'm quite ready to broadcast this whole game of ours, too. It's almost _too_ easy!"

Her face suddenly fell deathly serious,  
"People who cling to hope, talent, and admiration are truly the _weakest_ ,"

Hajime looked over just in time to see Nagito let out a small giggle as he stared worshipingly at his partner, all the while his eyes swirled dangerously with the darkness of despair.

It seemed that comment was directed straight at him.  
And it seemed like he didn't even mind.  
Maybe he even enjoyed such an insult?

No.. Nagito definitely was not okay, and Hajime truly suspected there was something bigger going on rather then just a corrupted file.  
Was this how he'd been in true despair?  
Or was _this_ his true despair?

Byakuya groaned shortly, "Let's start the shutdown sequence already, we have already wasted so much time indulging in their meaningless rambles,"

"You think I'm meaningless?" Nagito entreated immediately, his cheeks doused in a pink blush as he smiled, his hands shaking excitedly up at his heart.

The blonde decided not to indulge in the mastermind's fantasies.

"Are you all prepared to become my little despair ducklings once again?" Junko asked the six survivors, her touch-screen eyes boring into every one of them as if looking for an answer before they could even give one.

"Sh-Shut up!" Fuyuhiko shouted at her, "This is your fuckin' fault! We never wanted this!"

"Oh, but.. _Yea you did!"_

"What? You are saying we..."

"Yup! You totes chose willingly to go under the program," Junko nodded along with herself, "so in a way, it's kinda all your own faults that you killed eachother! Isn't that just soooo fuckin' tragic?!"

"D-Don't go blaming us for this!"

"It's only the truth!" Junko shot back, "y'know what else is the truth? You chumps were just tools so I could get to the _Future Foundation chumps_! Aww, thank youuu! It's all thanks to you cute little things that I can fill my old classmates with the despair they finally deserve!"

"We won't fall for your despair this time, Junko Enoshima," Makoto stated confidently, "we will never regret coming here to stop you, even if it means the end for us,"

"It's all over," Byakuya said, "we will shutdown this game and finally put an end to you,"

Junko hummed, seemingly unbothered by their declarations, and turned to the other six once more,  
"So, wuddaya say, hm? If you don't shut this place down, these dumbasses are gonna be stuck here forever, karma for tryin' to save people who don't wanna be saved, I guess. Hah!"

"And if you do shut this place down, then you'll go back to being trigger-happy maniacs," Nagito added with a calm smile, red fingernails clicking rhythmically on the wooden podium as he watched them all with mild interest,

"Well, actually, it doesn't matter what you guys pick, y'know why?" the AI countered herself suddenly,

"Oh really? Why?"

"Remember what I said waaayyyy back, like...hours ago? Whatever you pick, we gotta approve it! And there's no way _I_ for starters would let these old hope-chumpies graduate and leave me all over again! Boo-hoo-hoo...!!"

"But that's just if we chose to _graduate,_ right?" Hajime countered, eyes peering closely at them once he realized the hole in their argument.

Junko paused.  
She looked.. stunned? Like she didn't expect someone to declare an omission in her plans.

"You can't stop us from shutting this place down and getting rid of you!" he exclaimed, a sudden confidence washing over him because now he had _faith,_ "you have no say in whether or not we do that, do you?"

"So do it,"

That was...quite blunt.  
That didn't come from Junko, did it?

"If you're so sure, then do it," it was Nagito. His face was...startlingly blank, and he was staring directly at Hajime, "kill us, why dont'cha? Activate the shutdown and get rid of the burdens of your life!"  
He started laughing once more. Cackle upon cackle, chest heaving, emotionless eyes tearing up.  
He was prepared for the end.  
And so Hajime was too.

* * *

  
  
"Our futures are _ours_ _!_ I won't let _anyone_ take them away!"

"Even if..you've already given them away yourself?" his soft voice asked out, head cocked innocently.

"No. We didn't give out futures away, Nagito, not like you did,"

"I never had a future," he spat, "my entire life is filled with only despair,"

"Then let us help you, and let us give you one,"

Nagito fell silent for a moment, cloudy grey eyes narrowing,

"You'll never remember this," he said, "you'll all just know me as that stupid crazed servant. Just kill me now; shut this place down and leave me to rot in that green pod I'm trapped in,"

"Well.. you heard him," Kazuichi piped up, but immediately snapped shut at Hajime's glare and Nagito's grin,

"Haha...do you see, Hajime? You're the only one sticking up for me, and that's useless! Go away, you dense thing!"

"Agh, a conclusion will never be reached!" Junko said. Was she finally growing frustrated?

"Do you see how you've wasted your time, Makoto Naegi?" Nagito asked, turning limply to the Ultimate Hope, "now they won't even go! Must suck being so dull... trying to save people beyond saving... Ah~, how hopeless.."

"No, you're wrong!" Makoto declared, "Hope won't be given up that easily! It will always pull through in the end!"

"And you're willing to sort through all the despair they've caused?" Nagito questioned the other lucky student, a knowing look in his eyes no matter, because he was sure he already knew the answer.

Makoto smiled too, but this one was truly genuine.  
"Yes," he said, "and I know you would have done the same thing,"

"Everyone- Let's _shut this game down!"_

* * *

  
_"I didn't think it would end this easily,"_

_"It's not the end for us though, is it?"  
_

_"No, I think it is only just the beginning,"_

_"We still have our futures to take hold of,"_

_"But first, we have to let this game world end,"_

_"Even if it's not the end for us, it's the end for this, and the end for them"  
  
  
_

"How inspiring," Nagito Komaeda spoke quietly from his podium, a wistful look on his face as he glanced over all of them a final time, "I know the hope you all shall bring will be truly wonderful. Thank you,"

Hajime wanted to say something, _anything_ to him..  
But he didn't.

The nine survivors pressed on their buttons.

They all drowned in the blinding white light that followed, and basked in the cold silence that came with it.

It was finally over.

**Author's Note:**

> um,,, hi 😳  
> i did...a thing  
> (haha anyways expect much more in the future because so help me god i will fill up the mastermind komaeda tag if it is the last thing i do)
> 
> junko was more limelight-ier in this then i would've liked but i suppose that was inevitable
> 
> anyways um yea idk how to feel about this 😃👍 good job me i guess  
> (this took me forever and i mostly just went off the game script please send help)


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